Carpet joint and uniting strip therefor



July 11, 1933. F. w.'c1 ARK CARPET JOINT AND UNITING STRIP THEREFOR Filed Oct. 28, 1951 Fig? ATTys.

Patented einly 11,1933

UNITED STATES FRANK W. CLARK, O! SANFORD, MAINE, ASSIGNOR- T SANFORD MILLS, 0F SANFORD,

' MINE, A. CORPORATION OF MAINE CABPET JOINT AND UNITING- STRIP THEREFOR Application filed October as, 1931. Serial 1%. 571,551.

This invention relates to a novel carpet joint and uniting strip therefor. and is applicable to any type of carpet materialwhich can be cut and the edges abutted without ravelling so as to present a uniform appearance at the face and thus conceal the joint or render it inconspicuous at the face of the carpet.

The invention is particularly applicable to certain types of car at material now being made from pile fa rics such as heretofore employed for upholstery in which the carpet material presents a pile face and a composite body including the woven ground of the pile fabric impregnated or coated with a rubber com ound or pyrox lin compound adhesive bin ing material. referred constructions of such carpet material are disclosed in my applications, Serial N 0. 491,639, filed October 27, 1930, and Serial No. 571,669, filed October 28, 1931.

While a tape or strip has heretofore been emplo ed at the back surface of some types of such carpet material for securing sections of the carpet material together with their out edges abutting, the ta e or strip, if of sufiicient strength and thic ess properly to unite and maintain united the carpet sections, causes ridges in thecarpet material at the longitudinal edges of the strip which are conspicuous at the face of the carpet, thus materially detracting from the advantages in appearance at the face secured by the abuttin cut edges of the carpet material.

in present invention provides a uniting strip of greatest strength and thickness in a longitudinal central zone and tapering off to thin zones of lesser strength at the edge zones. Preferably such a strip is composed of a plurality of superimposed layers of thin fabric arranged in echelon tranversely of the strip with all of the layers extending through the central longitudinal zone to produce the required strength and thickness at this area and with but one of said layers extending through each edge zone so as to give thin edges which will not produce ridges in the carpet. The layers of this stri are secured together by suitable flexible a hesive binding material and the composite strip is separticularly pointed out in the claims.

cured by similar binding material to the back of the carpet with the central zone of the strip overlying the abutting edges of the carpet thus to present a strong, flexible joint without disclosure at the face of the carpet of the uniting strip.

The. nature and objects of the invention will'appear more fully from the accompan mg description and drawing and will e In the drawing:

Fig. l is a section transversely of the joint of two sections of pile fabric carpet having cut abutting edges with a uniting strip at the back of the carpet illustrating a preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating the form of uniting strip shown in Fig. l.

Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 are similar views show- 111% other forms of uniting strip.

1g.'7 is an illustration of a preferred form of fabric used in making up the unitmg strip.

Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are more or less diagrammatic and exaggerated in proportlons and are simply for the purpose of illustrating the general nature of the invenion.

The carpet material may be, as already pointed out, of any type which can be cut and have the edges abutted without revel-- ling. The carpet material in Fig. l is illustrated as having a ground 1 from which projects pile 2 forming the'face of the carpet. This type of carpet material is preferably formed from a pile fabric such as commonly employed for upholstery and may be woven in any suitable manner. The ground 1 is formed either by heavily impregnating or thickly coating the Woven ground or back of the plush with a suitable rubber compound .or pyroxylin compound adhesive binding material. A particularlydesirable form of-ca-rpet material of this type is-fun ther illustrated in my aforesaid applications in which the portion 1 is a composite body including the woven ground of the pile fabric, the adhesive binding material, and a 100 layer of coarse netting. But in any form the back surface of the carpet material preferably presents at its surface the binding material. Such carpet material may be cut at the edges smoothly and evenly and without ravelling and then the cut edges of the sections abutted and secured together. lVhen thus cut and secured, its practically impossible to detect the joint at the face of the carpet. Consequently large areas may be covered with carpet material or rugs of any size formed from the carpet material without the joints being apparent, thus producing a highly satisfactory effect.

It is important, however, that the abutting edges of the carpet material shall be securely and firmly united so that the carpet or rug may be taken up and relaid', cleansed, or otherwise handled without the joint giving way and the carpet sections coming apart. If the joint gives way, then the edges of the carpet sections have usually to be re-cut, refitted and re-united.

This invention employs a uniting strip adhesively secured to the zones adjacent to the cut edges of the carpet material section-s at the back. Such a strip must be of very substantial strength and consequently of considerable thickness and, as heretofore pointed out, this results in ridges being formed in the carpet material at each edge of the uniting strip, which ridges are conspicuous at the face of the carpet and thus nullify or materially detract from the advantages in appearance secured by the abutting cut edges of the carpet material.

In this invention the uniting strip tapers off at the edges while the centrallongitudinal zone is of the required thickness and strength. Thus no noticeable ridges are formed where the longitudinal edges of the strip extend along the back of the carpet material.

' While the desired construction may be secured in various ways, it is preferred to form the uniting strip of a plurality of superimposed layers of thin fabric. Such a fabric may be a fine netting such, for example, as marquisette, illustrated in Fig. 7. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 there are two superimposed layers of this thin fabric or netting. The narrower layer 3 extends over the joint 5 of the carpet material, being equally disposed at each side thereof. The wider layer 4 is superimposed symmetrically on the narrower layer 3. In Fig. 4 there are three superimposed layers 6, 7 and 8. In Fig. 5 there are two superimposed layers 9 and 10 arranged as illustrated. In Fig. 6 there are three superimposed layers, 11, 12, and 13, arranged as illustrated.

It will be seen that in all forms illustrated all the superimposed layers extend throughout the longitudinal central zone of the strip and but one of these layers extends through each edge zone of the strip, the superimposed layers being arranged in echelon transversely of the strip so that the thickness of the strip tapers from the central zone to the ex: treme outer edges by a stepped or echelon arrangement. There is thus presented, owing to the thin nature of the layer material, a feather edge at each edge of the strip which will not produce any ridge in the thin carpet material. 1

The layers of fabric of which the uniting strip is composed are thoroughly impregnated or coated with a suitable, flexible, ad-

-hesive binding material preferably corresponding to the binding material employed in the back 1 of the carpet material. Thus the superimposed layers are firmly united together and the composite strip firmly secured to the back of the carpet material along the joint.

The superimposed layers of the uniting strip may further be secured together, if desired, by rows of stitching 14, 15, 16, and 17 extending longitudinally of the strip through the layers of the central zone.

If the binding material employed in the carpet material back or ground 1 is of a rubber compound, the uniting strip is coated on its face with a similar binding material which may be softened by heat or by the use of a solvent so that the strip may readily be applied to and secured in place on the back of the carpet material.

When, as is preferable, the uniting strip is made up of layers of fine netting, as illustrated, the entire strip is thoroughly impregnated with the binding material.

When the binding material employed in the strip is a pyroxylin compound, it is desirable to coat the zones at the back face of the carpet adjacent the joint with a pyroxylin cement, then apply the uniting strip thereto and then coat over the entire strip with pyroxylin cement.

There is thus produced with this invention a very firm and rigid joint securely uniting the sections of carpet material together and enabling the entire carpet or rug to be handled, taken up and relaid as required, while maintaining the integrity of the joint and in which the appearance at the face of the carpet is such as not to disclose the joint Eorkthe presence of the uniting strip at the Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A uniting strip for carpet sections composed of a plurality of superimposed layers of thin woven netting arranged in echelon transversely of the strip with all the layers extending through the longitudinal central zone and but one of said layers extending through each edge zone and flexible adhesive binding material impregnating the composite ing the construction defined in claim 1, in

which rows of stitching extend longitudinally of the strip through the layers of the central zone.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK W. CLARK. 

